


Bargain with the Devil

by AcathlaSolace



Series: The Devil's Favorite [1]
Category: All My Children, Lucifer (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29384649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcathlaSolace/pseuds/AcathlaSolace
Summary: Frankie Stone knew and worked for Lucifer before she showed up in Pine Valley.   Frankie was Lucifer's favorite human and when she dies...well...she discovers there are perks to being the Devil's Favorite. Takes place before Season One of Lucifer so there will be no Detective Decker...sorry.
Series: The Devil's Favorite [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2158566
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story a few years ago with the idea of creating a whole series of stories featuring the Devil's favorite human and her relationship with Lucifer and Mazikeen. I hope to be able to keep the momentum going and deliver the series I initially envisioned. 
> 
> Special Note: This story takes place years before Lucifer ever meets Chloe Decker so there won't be any mention of her or Lucifer working with LAPD. This is all pre-canon for Lucifer. I will incorporate elements from AMC as they apply to the story and Frankie.

_September 4, 2001; Los Angeles, California_

Frankie Stone stood at the bar in the nightclub Lux, looking around at the empty room. It was the middle of the day and apparently, the cleaning staff had just left, restoring the club to its pre-Labor Day End of Summer Bash state of cleanliness. Frankie always found it a little disconcerting to see the place so quiet and empty, she was used to seeing it at night and active.

Frankie, with help of a fake ID, had managed to score a job at Lux as a bartender. She had worked there mostly at night, enjoying the fast pace and great music…and all the sexy women who paraded through the club only to be scooped up by its owner, Lucifer Morningstar.

Frankie was one of the few women to step foot in this club that didn’t immediately fall at his feet and that made her stand out to him. Frankie had quickly become his favorite and before too long, Frankie was brought into Lucifer’s inner circle and trusted with the truth of Lucifer’s identity. Frankie had seen his devil face and it hadn’t scared her.

Lucifer Morningstar walked down the stairs from his private elevator, smiling when he saw his favorite human, Frankie, waiting for him. He had asked her to meet him there and he hoped she would accept what he was about to offer her.

“Frankie, darling, thank you for meeting me here,” Lucifer said, his voice rising a little to carry over to her as he crossed the room to the bar.

Frankie smiled at her boss and friend and said, “anything for you, boss. What’s up?”

There was something about Lucifer that made Frankie feel safe and relaxed. She never held it against him that he was the actual devil, he’d never been anything but kind to her.

Lucifer smiled as he walked behind the bar and poured them both a drink. Despite the fact that Frankie was not legally old enough to drink, it never mattered to him. Honestly, he never understood why humans put age limits on things like alcohol. “Well, I asked you here because I have something for you.”

“Yeah? What?”

Lucifer reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He handed it to Frankie. “This.”

Frankie frowned as she took the envelope from her friend and opened it. She read the words on the card and looked up at him. “What does this mean Lucifer?”

Lucifer smiled, “well, after you helped me with…that vile little man, it occurred to me that I couldn’t have done it without your help so…this means I owe you a favor. So, this is my I.O.U. to you, my dear. One favor, to be cashed in whenever you need it. Good for eternity, even after death.”

Frankie took a moment to think about what he was saying. A favor from the devil, for anything she wanted. Frankie had been around for a few of the times he had been asked a favor and had seen the results of his help. “So, if I cash in this favor, does that mean my soul would belong to you, like those others to who you gave favors?”

Lucifer frowned, “No. This is different Frankie. Those others came to me and asked for a favor, which I granted, for a price. This is a favor owed to you by me for your help. No price tag attached and no conditions either. Whenever you decide to cash this favor in, I will fulfill my promise and that will be the end of it. A clean slate, even-steven. Your soul will forever be yours.”

Frankie thought about that for a moment then she smiled, “well…in that case, thank you. I’ll have to give it some serious thought then, I don't want to waste this rare opportunity.”

Lucifer smiled, “take all the time you need my dear. We have eternity.” He paused for a moment then said, “now, let’s toast to the end of another summer…the heat reminds me too much of home.” He raised his glass and clinked it with hers.

A week later, Frankie was contacted by her Aunt Vanessa and blackmailed into leaving LA for Pine Valley, Pennsylvania. Not wanting to drag Lucifer into her aunt’s world, no matter how badly she wanted to use her favor to get rid of her aunt, Frankie didn’t tell Lucifer why she was leaving but that she hoped to be back before the new year. Little did she know that her decision to go to Pine Valley would be the beginning of the end of her life.

* * *

_December 2001_

Lucifer Morningstar, the Devil himself, was sitting in his usual booth at Lux just enjoying the scenery. He wasn’t quite ready to find a lovely lady for the night yet, it was still early, and he had plenty of time and no shortage of willing beauties.

It had only been a few months since his favorite human, Frankie Stone, had left Los Angeles for a place called Pine Valley at the request of her aunt. Lucifer had a bad feeling about the whole situation, but he knew he couldn’t force Frankie to stay. That pesky “gift” called free will that dear old dad had given all these humans ensured Lucifer’s influence was minimal.

Still, he missed the young girl, feeling almost like a big brother to her. She was the only woman he’d met so far that he had never had a desire to bed. Not that Frankie wasn’t attractive, but it was more that she was only 16 when he first met her and there are some lines even the Devil doesn’t cross. By the time Frankie had matured properly, Lucifer already considered her off-limits. She had seen his true nature by then and she hadn’t run screaming for the hills or turned into a blubbering mess and that made her far too special to risk losing her.

Lucifer was about to order another drink when Mazikeen, a demon from Hell and the closest thing he had to a friend now that Frankie was gone, sat down at his table with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a bottle of Macallan 21 in the other. She placed them both in front of him before she spoke.

“You might need this,” Mazikeen stated, her voice oddly reserved.

Lucifer turned to face her, his expression curious, “Why?”

“Someone…new has entered Hell.” Mazikeen didn’t normally monitor the Gates of Hell, but she had tagged a select number of humans for immediate notice if they passed through the gates. Mostly, humans who deserved to be there that she might enjoy torturing for a while but also a few who should never be there. Those humans she tagged so they could be redirected to the silver city if possible. One of _those_ humans had crossed over and Mazikeen was dreading her self-appointed task of informing her boss. She knew he would want to be told as soon as she knew.

Lucifer eyed his demon companion; she didn’t usually care about the humans who entered Hell. “Oh? Who?” Lucifer asked, he was expecting to hear that some thoroughly rotten human had died, and Maze wanted to return to Hell to torture them.

Mazikeen took a breath then leaned in as close as she dared to considering Lucifer liked his personal space when it came to the demons he ruled over in Hell. Being on Earth didn’t really change that so Maze knew to be careful of overstepping boundaries. “Frankie.”

Mazikeen leaned back, prepared to exit the booth if necessary. She knew what Frankie meant to him, she meant something to Maze as well, being the only human who knew the truth about them meant she could really talk to the young girl, learn how to blend in a little more so that she didn’t do something careless and give away the truth.

Lucifer had a hard time processing what Maze had just said, it wasn’t possible. Frankie couldn’t be dead and in Hell of all places! She was only 19! She should’ve not only had a long life ahead of her, but she definitely shouldn’t have ended up in Hell! “What? How?” Lucifer’s eyes flashed red briefly before he got them under control.

“I don’t know. All I know is she triggered an alert when she crossed the gates. She’s in a room in her own loop.”

Lucifer downed the drink Maze had brought him before he stood up. His mind was made up. “I’ll be back. Keep an eye on things Maze.” With that, Lucifer left the club and went up to his apartment on the upper level. He stepped out onto the balcony and took a deep breath.

He was suddenly thankful he hadn’t removed his wings yet. Frankie had talked him out of it, and he shook his head at the irony of the moment, without his wings he would need Amenadiel’s help getting back to Hell.

Lucifer released his wings and took off into the sky, heading for the spot in L.A. where only celestial beings could get into Hell. He was going to get to the bottom of this and fix things. No way was Frankie staying in Hell! One way or another, Lucifer was going to fix the situation—even if he had to once again defy his father’s laws regarding humanity.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer steps into Frankie's Hell-loop.

Lucifer passed through the barrier that kept out curious mortals and entered the Gates of Hell, ironically located in the first “O” of the Hollywood sign and retracted his wings. He took a breath, inhaling the smell of the prison that he’d once called home for so long. His skin began to crawl at being back, but he pushed it aside as he walked towards the center of the labyrinth that made up Hell. In the center was a directory of sorts that only Lucifer could access. He searched for Frankie’s name and found the room’s location. He walked with purpose to the room, determined not to stay there any longer than was absolutely necessary, while also vowing not to leave without Frankie.

Lucifer entered the room with Frankie’s Hell Loop and was surprised at what he saw play out.

_Frankie was sitting on a bed telling a beautiful young girl she loved her, then the scene shifted to later in the day with Frankie in bed with some guy and the girl from earlier walking in on them. It shifted again to Frankie kicking the guy out and starting to go after the girl when a gunshot rang out and Frankie dropped to the floor…dead._

Before Lucifer could react, the loop restarted, and he watched it happen again. Using his power as the Ruler of Hell, Lucifer stopped the loop right before the gunshot. He stepped up to Frankie and placed a hand on her shoulder, breaking her out of her guilt-induced torture. 

“Stop.”

Frankie turned to the voice and saw her old friend, she blinked, “Lucifer? What are you doing here?”

Lucifer grinned, “That’s my line dear.” He looked around the room, seeing behind the thin veil of illusion that created the room to the dark sulfur walls of Hell, “you don’t belong here, Frankie.”

Frankie’s shoulders dropped as she sighed, “Yes, I do. I…I did a bad thing…more than one actually, but only one that haunts me. So, yeah, this is where I belong.”

Lucifer studied the young girl for a moment, already seeing the room’s effects on the existing guilt. Hell did that, it magnified the guilt one felt over their biggest regret or sin and made it damn near impossible to see past it and forgive yourself. That was the point of Hell, after all, to punish the guilty. But Lucifer would never count Frankie among the guilty, worthy of this kind of punishment. “Why didn’t you call me Frankie? You know I would’ve helped you.”

Frankie felt her eyes sting with the first onset of tears, “I thought I had it under control. I thought…I thought I could handle my aunt and still have Bianca, but…I didn’t realize how wrong I was and by the time I did, it was too late, and I was dying.” Frankie finally let go and began to cry, it was finally hitting her how much she had lost because she was too stupid to see the writing on the wall. Too naïve to think her Aunt wouldn’t have her killed if she did anything to jeopardize her criminal organization. Too scared to accept the love she felt for Bianca because it would put the other girl in danger if her aunt ever knew how much Frankie cared about her. Too proud to reach out to Lucifer before it was too late and ask for his help. 

In a rather uncharacteristic move, one that was only possible because of how much he’d come to care about the girl, Lucifer just held Frankie as she cried. He didn’t speak or try to offer empty platitudes or promises. He just held her as she let it all out. Never let it be said the Devil couldn’t feel sympathy for a lost soul in pain who didn’t deserve to ever be hurt. 

After a while, Lucifer noticed that Frankie had fallen asleep. He gently laid her down on the bed in the room and made sure she was comfortable. He then sat down in a chair near the wall and waited for Frankie to wake up. Lucifer was already making plans and figuring out a way to fix what had gone wrong. There was no way he’d let Frankie stay in Hell, punishing herself for something that wasn’t in her control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might seem a bit out of character for them but bear with me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer asks for help, and Frankie cashes in her favor.

While Frankie slept, Lucifer summoned one of the many demons in Hell that he ruled over and ordered it to bring him one of his siblings. Once the demon was gone, Lucifer turned to watch Frankie sleep, a plan already forming in his mind; all he had to do was convince one of his siblings to break one of dad’s rules for him.

After a while, Lucifer sensed a presence behind him, and he smiled, he recognized the energy of his favorite sibling. Lucifer stood from the chair and turned to face the newcomer. “Hello, sis.”

Azrael, the Angel of Death, stood before her favorite brother (and considering how many brothers she had, that was saying something) and smiled, “Luci, been a while. Why did you have one of your minions summon me?” She loved her brother, but she didn’t appreciate being summoned by anyone…especially when it meant interacting with the demons from Hell.

Lucifer’s grin faded just a tiny bit as he said, “I need a favor Ray Ray, but I couldn’t leave here to come to find you.” Lucifer didn’t want to risk Frankie waking up without him there to keep the loop from restarting.

Azrael, or Ray Ray as Lucifer liked to call her, and really he was the only one she allowed to use that nickname, tilted her head as she looked at her brother, “a favor? Isn’t that usually your area of expertise?”

Lucifer grinned, “normally yes, but this is something I can’t do on my own; it has to do with your area of expertise, sis.”

Ray Ray smiled, “my area is Death Luci. What’s the favor?”

Lucifer glanced at the still sleeping Frankie before turning back to his sister and explaining who Frankie was and what she meant to him. When he was done explaining, he came to his favor, “I need you to allow Frankie to live again and go back to Earth. She doesn’t deserve to be dead, much less to be stuck here.” He motioned around the room to encompass all of Hell.

Azrael took a moment to think about what her brother had said and asked of her. After a few moments, she waved her hand and produced a book out of thin air. She held the book then turned to her brother, “What’s her full name Lucifer?”

Lucifer smiled, “Mary Francis Stone, born in Green Bay, Wisconsin in April if I recall correctly.” Of course, Lucifer knew most of Frankie’s life story, having spent more than one evening talking and drinking with his favorite human.

Azrael opened the book and flipped through the pages for a bit before she stopped on a seemingly random page and read what was written. “Well, I have good news and bad news; what do you want first?”

Lucifer sighed, “what’s the bad news?” Might as well get it over with was his thinking.

“The bad news is that too many people in Frankie’s life not only know she died, but also saw the body and even went to the funeral. There’s no viable way to bring her back to her life and explain away what they all saw and know, sorry.”

“Okay...that’s unfortunate. What’s the good news?”

“Well, according to The Book,” she lifted the book in her hands to indicate she meant the book in her hands, “she wasn’t supposed to die yet. Because of this, I can actually bring her back to life. However, she can’t return to her old life. If I break Father’s rules, she is going to have to stay here in L.A with you under a whole new identity. Mary Francis Stone will remain dead to everyone she knew in…” Azrael looked back at the book to read the name of the town where Frankie had died, “Pine Valley.” Azrael looked at her brother, “Is that something she would be able to do? Leave her entire life and identity behind and start over as someone new?”

Lucifer’s first thought was that if it meant she was still alive, Frankie would jump at the opportunity; however, he realized that he would have to give the young girl the chance to choose for herself, so he shrugged and, hoping he wasn’t making a grave error, he motioned to the sleeping girl, “why don’t we ask her?”

Azrael nodded, knowing full well that even in the afterlife, humans still have free will.

Lucifer sat down next to Frankie on the bed and gently woke her up.

Azrael watched her brother interacting with this human, and it wasn’t hard to see that she meant more to him than possibly he even knew or would ever admit to, and Azrael decided that if Frankie turned down the second chance at life, she would at least bring her to the Silver City personally, knowing Lucifer wouldn’t allow her to stay here torturing herself.

* * *

After Lucifer explained all of the details to Frankie about her option of a second chance at life, Frankie realized she wasn’t going to get a better deal than this, and she accepted it, with one tiny condition. Frankie asked to cash in the favor Lucifer owed her from her old life, and he graciously agreed to her request.

Azrael escorted Frankie out of Hell herself because Lucifer was unable to bring humans out of Hell. Only the Angel of Death and God himself had the power to bring a human back to Earth from Hell or Heaven. Azrael brought Frankie to Lucifer’s apartment above the club and left her with Lucifer. He would be in charge of establishing her new identity and ensuring that everyone only knew her by that name.

Lucifer took his responsibility seriously because, as Azrael warned him if anyone other than Lucifer and Maze remembered her as Frankie, she would have to return to Hell, and Azrael would be forced to bring her there.

Lucifer told Maze to replace all of the bartenders and waitstaff and anyone who knew Frankie at the club. He hired all new people and introduced them to Frankie as her new identity, Christine Rockford. Before long, Frankie was established at Lux as Chris Rockford, the head bartender, and Lucifer’s favorite.

After two weeks back, Frankie went to Lucifer and asked for her favor. Lucifer smiled and asked her how she wanted to do this. Frankie asked him to bring Bianca to a neutral location and make her think she was dreaming so Frankie could talk to her and clear the air about what Bianca saw the night Frankie was killed.

_The room was eerily familiar as Bianca walked through the door. She looked around and recognized it as Frankie’s room at Opal’s. Bianca felt a strange sensation as she looked around, sensing that this wasn’t real. Before she could do more than walk closer to the bed, she heard a voice behind her, and she turned to face the speaker._

_“Bianca Montgomery, I presume,” the man standing in the doorway wasn’t familiar to Bianca, and she started to panic just a bit, “you are quite lovely, my dear. No wonder Frankie fell in love with you.” The man’s accent washed over her putting her on alert, but when he said Frankie’s name, she relaxed._

_“You knew Frankie?”_

_“Of course, my dear, she’s the reason we are both here.”_

_“Who are you? How did you know Frankie?” Bianca was confused, this man was a stranger, but he claimed to know Frankie._

_“Lucifer Morningstar, at your service. I knew Frankie before she came to this...dismal little town and lost her life here. She asked me to help her see you one last time.”_

_Before Bianca could say anything, there was movement behind the man from the door, and there, smiling that hypnotic smile of hers, was Frankie Stone and Bianca felt her heart skip a beat. “Frankie.”_


End file.
